Event Resources

Effectively Managing Global Compensation and Benefits

A report by WorldatWork and Watson Wyatt

Survey

As companies extend their reach worldwide, they must strike a balance between global and local management of their compensation and benefit programs. Finding the optimal HR management structure will ultimately lead to improved financial performance in an increasingly competitive global environment. This survey examined multinationals’ overall HR strategies and management and then probed deeper into their global total rewards, communication, technology and governance practices.

Survey Results

This report finds that multinational companies tend to manage tactical programs at the local level but are centralizing processes and programs that affect the organization’s strategy. For example, global consistency is more prevalent at the executive level, where there is more impact on company performance, and less prevalent in reward practices for non-executives and in areas such as health and welfare and retirement, which are driven by local statutory and/or market practices.